Sinnoh Arc: Arrival In Sinnoh
"Say, Elesa?" While flying, Jacky looked at the gym leader. "It's just a question out of pure interest, but... Do you know of any places where Mega Stones might be hidden?"
Elesa raised her gaze. "Well... in principle, you can assume that the pieces can't be found just anywhere on the street." She crossed her arms. "I know of two places where I'm sure there are some. Otherwise, I can only help with rumors. There is a mega stone on an altar at the top of Temple Mountain in Lacunosa. However, this mountain belongs to the monastery there. It is expressly forbidden to ascend. The abbot of the monastery, Nate, is strict about this. The mountain is sacred. That's why you can't get to this mega stone. You need the abbot's permission to walk the mountain's paths.",
"Nate, huh?" Mari repeated the name. "We've heard that name before... It was on a letter in Relic Castle. Does this guy have something to do with herbs?",
"The monastery has a wide-ranging supply of rare healing herbs," Elesa replied.
"I see..." Mari nodded. "And the other place you spoke of?",
"A place hidden deep in a forest called the Fairy Garden." Elesa sighed. "However, of course, there are many forests here in Unova... No one has ever found this place. Also, rumor has it that there is an altar in a place called 'The Circle of Seven Lakes'. One myth even says that there is a temple underwater in the bay of Undella, where a mega stone lies. Others believe in the existence of such an altar near the Abundant Shrine. However, I can only reiterate that these places have either never been discovered, their pure existence is based on legends, or they are inaccessible." Mari and Jacky nodded.
"How long is the flight gonna be?" Mari asked, changing the subject.
"Four hours." Elesa brushed back a strand of her hair. "Skyla will land at the Fight Area, which is on an island off the coast of Sinnoh. From there, we'll take a ferry across to the mainland to Veilstone City. The rest of the way to Eterna, we can fly on Pokémon.",
"We'll meet Gardenia there, correct?" Jacky asked.
"Right. She's the gym leader of Eterna.",
"Okay... Other question... What about the dance festival, Elesa? It's happening soon, and if you're going to Sinnoh...",
"I've officially postponed it", Elesa replied. "We won't be able to resolve the situation in Sinnoh within a week, so I've postponed it for two weeks.",
"I see. And your gym...?",
"...is temporarily closed. As is Skyla's."
After what felt like an eternity on the plane, Skyla spoke through the loudspeaker: "We'll be there soon. You can already see the island out the window. We're getting ready to land." Jacky looked out the window curiously. "Look, Mari! Down there!" She pointed.
"I can't see anything with your nose glued to the window", Mari replied.
Jacky leaned back so Mari could see something too. "Wow. I mean... Wow! I've never been outside of Unova before and now, I'm in Sinnoh! Awesome!"
Jacky laughed. "Me too!"
The plane descended and landed a short time later on the airport of the Fight Area. Skyla came out of the cockpit. "The ferry to Veilstone leaves in half an hour. We'd better not waste any time.",
"Then let's hurry", Jacky decided. The four disembarked and Elesa bought 4 tickets for the ferry to Veilstone at the ticket office. Then, they went to the harbor where the ship was already docked and people were boarding. They mingled and boarded the rather huge ferry. "I'll meet you at the pier when we dock," Skyla said, "Until then, you can do whatever you want here.",
"See you later! Come on, Mari!" Jacky hurriedly waved Mari over and they ran forward to the bow of the ship. It wasn't long before a loud ship's horn sounded and the ferry departed. The two enjoyed the sea breeze and enthusiastically watched the Wingull swarms gliding over the waves. After a while, Jacky decided to take an exploratory tour on the boat. Mari was waiting for her at the bow.
After a while, Jacky came back. "The boat is really nice. There's even a bar.",
"How long does the crossing take?",
"Um... Half an hour tops, I think." The two looked ahead to where the mainland of the Sinnoh region was getting closer.
Suddenly, someone behind them shouted, "Hey! You gals!" The two turned around. A slender boy with scarlet hair was coming toward them. He seemed to be about their age... maybe a little older. He stopped by them and crossed his arms with questioning green eyes. "Yes, you. You didn't happen to come across... my candy? Little bags? No?"
Mari frowned. "Uh... No, well... I didn't. Did you, Jacky? You were just out in the ship, weren't you?",
"No, me neither. Sorry."
The boy ruffled his hair, "Argh! You've got to be kidding me! Those were my emergency appetizers! Urgh..." He sighed. "Thanks anyway.",
"Uh... can't you just buy new ones?" Mari asked.
"Thanks for the tip, Mrs. Superbrain..." he grumbled. "There's nothing here.",
"I meant when we get Sinnoh's mainland.",
"I already used up my allowance. This is frustrating...",
"You don't really look like you are in dire need of candy anyway, in my opinion", Jacky remarked as she looked at him. The boy looked at her in amazement. "...Huh? What's that supposed to mean?!",
"If your candy is so important to you, I suggest you keep looking," Mari commented. "Before someone else helps themselves to it. Which may have already happened."
Irritated, the boy sighed. "Yeah, you're probably right." He turned away and continued searching.
"What was that about?" Mari asked in surprise. "That guy is really weird.",
"Yeah, you're right about that, though... he seems to have an intimate love for candy." Jacky looked after the boy, puzzled. "Some people these days..."
After some time, the ship arrived at the port of Veilstone. It was not particularly large and could not remotely compete with the port of Castelia. Mari and Jacky disembarked and met up with Skyla and Elesa. "All right." Elesa nodded at them. "I guess we can move out then.",
"Wasn't this town the residence of those galactic weirdos?" Mari asked.
"Yes, it was. But the building has been vacated. It's empty", Skyla replied before calling out her Braviary and her Staraptor. She got on Braviary while leaving Staraptor to Elesa. Mari called out Skarmory and swung onto his back. Jacky did the same with Noivern. "Let's go!" They lifted off and soared into the sky. Jacky looked down with fascination the whole time, watching the strips of Sinnoh's landscape glide by below them.